Virgin Islands health science professionals and students
studying health sciences are invited to participate in the
Director's Regional Meeting of the National Institute on Aging
(NIA) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health
Disparities (NIMHD) to be held on the University of the Virgin
Islands' St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses on April 7 and 8.

Hosting this prestigious meeting in the Virgin Islands is a
first for UVI, according to Dr. Gloria Callwood, director of the
Caribbean Exploratory NCMHD Research Center at UVI.

The meeting is designed to provide information on existing
opportunities for research and training, provide hands-on technical
assistance in grant writing, solicit advice on the design of new
research opportunities, and to develop strategies for recruiting
underrepresented students and investigators to the field of aging
and health disparities research.

"This is a very important event," Dr. Callwood said. "It will
give students and professionals the opportunity to interact with
the directors of the Institute on Aging and the Institute on
Minority Health and Health Disparities, and with other national and
local experts."

The featured speakers are NIA Director Dr. Richard J. Hodes, NIMHD
Director Dr. John Ruffin, Dr. James S. Jackson, a professor at the
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and Dr. Callwood.

The speakers will take questions on both days at the end of the
morning sessions. Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Callwood also said there would be opportunities for direct
interaction so that persons interested in applying to the NIA for
grants can obtain critical information. "They will be sharing
information about careers, research funding opportunities and how
the NIH research mechanism works," she said.

The University of the Virgin Islands is a learner-centered institution dedicated to the success of its students and committed to enhancing the lives of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean through excellent teaching, innovative research, and responsive community service. UVI is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Learn more about UVI ...